Did Jesus Contradict Moses about Stoning?

Greg Laurie

The Bible tells the story of a woman who was caught in the act of adultery, brought before Jesus, and thrown at His feet. The teachers of the law and Pharisees who brought her there said, "The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?" (John 8:5).

Of course, a question arises: what happened to the man? It seems as though he would have been around somewhere. We don't know. But we do know they were attempting to trap Jesus. John tells us, "They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him" (John 8:6). This wasn't at all about dealing justly with a sin. This was about putting Jesus on the horns of a dilemma. It was about setting a trap. So Jesus assessed the situation. Then He stooped down and wrote on the ground. These religious leaders were challenging Him, and Jesus appeared to be doodling in the dust. He stood up and said, "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" (John 8:7). Then He went back to writing again. We don't know what Jesus wrote, but He wrote something, because the Bible said they left one by one, starting with the oldest among them.

Then Jesus turned His attention to the woman. She was so ashamed; she didn't know what to do. So He asked, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" (John 8:10).